At Least 14 Civilians Killed in Artillery Shelling on Sudan’s Dilling

29 March 2026

A building destroyed by shelling in Dilling, South Kordofan, Sudan, October 11, 2025.

March 29, 2026 (DILLING) – At least 14 civilians, including women and children, were killed and dozens were injured in heavy artillery shelling by a coalition of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N al Hilu) targeting the city of Dilling in South Kordofan on Saturday and Sunday.

Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) reportedly repelled a major assault on Saturday aimed at capturing Dilling, the second-largest city in the state. The attacking force, allegedly supported by mercenaries from South Sudan, sought to isolate and control the critical urban centre.

“Fourteen people, including five children and two women, were killed, and 23 others, including seven children, were injured in the shelling executed by the RSF and the SPLM-N al Hilu faction on the city of Dilling,” stated the Sudan Doctors Network (SDN).

The humanitarian group highlighted that the attacks struck residential areas, resulting in significant casualties amidst an already complex humanitarian crisis characterized by acute shortages of medical personnel and supplies.

Dilling has endured two consecutive days of intense bombardment coupled with ground attacks in its vicinity, according to the SDN statement.

The SDN strongly condemned what it termed a dangerous escalation and systematic targeting of civilians, describing it as a flagrant violation of international laws protecting non-combatants and civilian infrastructure.

The network compared the situation in Dilling to the humanitarian catastrophe in El-Fasher, warning that the RSF’s tactic of heavy shelling, supply line disruption, and blockades is creating an impending disaster.

SDN called on the international community and humanitarian organizations to intervene urgently to stop the violations and provide protection. It placed full responsibility for the alleged atrocities on the leadership of the RSF and the SPLM-N al Hilu.

In January, SAF forces broke a nearly three-year blockade of Dilling by securing alternative dirt routes connecting the city to North Kordofan. However, the allied RSF and SPLM-N forces have recently seized control of Al-Takmala, a town seven kilometres east of Dilling, in an apparent effort to reinstate the siege.